


A Glimmer of Hope

by chicka024, vampcoffeegyrl23



Series: OQ Happy Ending Week [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, OQ Happy Ending Week, OQHappyEndingWeek, Season 3 Quite A Common Fairy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-08 22:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15253599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicka024/pseuds/chicka024, https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampcoffeegyrl23/pseuds/vampcoffeegyrl23
Summary: OQ Happy Ending Day 4: Thursday - Pre-curse (Regina goes into the tavern/Finds Robin in EF)





	A Glimmer of Hope

[ ](http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Shelby_Carter/media/precurseoq_zpsqycty9am.jpg.html)

**A Glimmer of Hope**

For once in her life Regina had felt in control. She'd swung open the tavern door with every intention to enter. She'd seen the man with the lion tattoo chattering with his men, roars of laughter surrounding them. It'd been so different from what she knew. In the palace she was confined like a prisoner, but the tavern was a happy place.

Tinker Bell said that happiness would expel her anger, but it had been her only companion since Daniel's death. If she rid herself of it, fill the hole he left behind with new love, then what had Daniel really meant to her? She was weak when she lost Daniel, her chest still tightened at the mention of his name. What would happen if she loved and lost all over again? She'd stood frozen, so unsure, so she fled. She was a Queen, not someone who would follow a green glow blindly towards a prophesied true love. She'd had a soulmate, and now he was gone.

If she hadn't listened to that stupid fairy she wouldn't be in the dirt, rocking back and forth with scraped skin. She should've just stayed in the isolation of her room. She hasn't moved an inch in the hours since she'd stumbled over a log, lost in shame and humiliation. Destiny thrived on pulling the rug out from under her and she'd been foolish to have hope.

A figure collides into her cursing under his breath as he barely avoids falling himself. His feeble apology doesn't reach her ears and her eyes narrow as she readies herself to fight. Before she can speak, he turns toward her with his bright sea blue eyes lit up against the darkness. She's reminded of Daniel's sapphire orbs and how they used to make her heart flutter. Both so alluring, yet different.

She's still furious with this stranger as she snarks a comment about watching where he's going. She drags herself off the ground and onto the fallen log, catching the faintest smell of forest and whiskey on him that sends a shiver down her spine. She chides him for never bathing but he only smirks and attempts to take a seat beside her. When she stiffens, he shifts away and apologizes, notices her tears and asks if she's alright. She wipes her face quickly, insisting she's fine and it's none of his business, but he leans over and brushes an errant drop from the tip of her nose with his thumb. He's just a stranger but the tension within her eases and she can tell that he's kind. He studies her face, brows crinkled as he rolled up the sleeves of his cloak, showing off the dark inked grand lion on the inside of his arm.

She gasps, terror stricken. Heat rises inside her as the voices of Tinker Bell and her mother echo in her mind. The world spins until she feels a hand on either side of her face keeping her steady. When she opens her eyes the blue of his greets her as he quietly introduces himself as Robin. His arm brushes against her and the sight of the tattoo again makes her tremble. Instinct screams at her to flee but for some reason she can't as Robin wraps an arm around her and reminds her to breath.

As if like magic, she gradually begins to relax. Her heart slows until she's able to introduce herself. Upon learning her name Robin pulls away briskly, lightly teasing what brings a Queen to a ratty old tavern.

The dam breaks then. Tears fall freely as her scarred past tumbles out of her mouth. She tells him of her heartless mother, her loveless marriage, her rotten step daughter and deceased fiancé. Of Tinker Bell's pixie dust and her disbelief in it all. He listens carefully, patiently.

When she finishes her tale, he tells her of his days thieving and how he's long grown tired of it. He wants more from life than his mistakes. He's still mourning the death of his mother and wants to honour the moral code she'd tried to instil in him.

When he falls silent, Regina finds herself tracing the lion on his arm gently. It's his declaration to help her escape that breaks the silence and her hand stills.

He pleads his case at her disbelief, explains that he can't just walk away from the woman fate put in his path. He doesn't expect anything of her and knows he has no right to pry. He can't offer her the life of a Queen, but he hasn't felt so sure of anything before. With a gentle kiss to her knuckles, he vows that he will stick by her until she has what she longs for. They would part ways after he knew she was safe, if she so wishes.

She's mesmerized by his words and her sense of comfort grows stronger than she's ever felt in her tormented life. He's a gentleman, just as Daniel had been. The pain of thinking about Daniel no longer burns as it had only hours before. She doesn't know why but she leans forward and gently presses her lips to his, tenderly kissing him softly. They linger for a moment as the smell of pine fills her senses. When they finally drift apart, they're breathless and stunned.

Regina agrees to his deal and he tells him her plan of staging her death. They need to find a way to convince the King that she had perished just long enough for her to run away. Regina smirks, and tells him of her idea. He cocks his head as she steadies her breathing. She reminds herself of Rumple's lessons and urges Robin to look away before ripping out her own heart as gently as she can. It stings, but only for a moment and then her heart is out in the open, beating within the palm of her hand. It's an insane plan but she trusts it, she trusts him.

The heart falls from her hands into his, as he looks back at her with confusion. She swears she feels it skip a beat at how gently he cradles it before placing it in his black satchel. He's in disbelief that she would entrust something so valuable to a common thief, but she assures him that one cannot steal something that's been freely given. He smiles at that, and Regina blushes when he vows to guard it with his life.

They arrange a meeting in this exact spot where he promises to have her safe passage out of the kingdom ready and give her back her heart. As the sun begins to rise beyond the horizon, Regina is suddenly grateful for that stupid fairy and smiles in anticipation of the life that awaits her in three days time.


End file.
